Namequa (YT-331)
1943-1950
The only daughter of Black Hawk, leader of the Sauk and Fox tribes during the Black Hawk War (1831-1832).
(YT-331: displacement 237; length 100'0"; beam 25'0"; draft 9'7"; speed 16 knots; complement 12; class Hiawatha; type V2-ME-A1)
Port Elizabeth was laid down in early 1942, under a Maritime Commission Contract (M.C. Hull 444), at Chicago, Ill., by the Calumet Shipyard & Dry Dock Co.; launched on 22 May 1942; sponsored by Mrs. James F. Rogans; renamed Namequa and classed as a harbor tug, YT-331,m on 29 September; acquired by the Navy on 15 October and placed in service on 17 February 1943.
Allocated to the First Naval District and based at Boston, Mass., she provided fire-fighting, tug, and salvage services to naval vessels and installations in that district throughout her seven year career. Reclassified as a big harbor tug, YTB-331, on 15 May 1944, her active service was continuous, except for a period in reserve from March to October 1946. She was stricken from the Navy Register in June 1950.
Updated, Robert J. Cressman
16 May 2022
